Rajiv Shah

Dr. Rajiv Shah led the efforts of nearly 10,000 staff in more than 70 countries around the world to advance USAID’s mission of ending extreme poverty and promoting resilient, democratic societies.

Under Dr. Shah’s leadership, USAID applied innovative technologies and engaged the private sector to solve the world’s most intractable development challenges. This new model of development brings together an increasingly diverse community—from large companies to local civil society groups to communities of faith—to deliver meaningful results.

Dr. Shah also managed the U.S. Government’s humanitarian response to catastrophic crises around the world, from the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Through an extensive set of reforms called “USAID Forward,” Dr. Shah worked with the United States Congress to transform USAID into the world’s premier development Agency that prioritizes public-private partnerships, innovation, and meaningful results. He currently serves on the boards of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as participates on the National Security Council.

Previously, Dr. Shah served as Undersecretary and Chief Scientist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he created the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, he spent eight years at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led efforts in global health, agriculture, and financial services, including the creation of the International Finance Facility for Immunization.

He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and the Wharton School of Business. He regularly appears in the media and has delivered keynote addresses before the U.S. Military Academy, the National Prayer Breakfast, and diverse audiences across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Dr. Shah was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He has served as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, been named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40, and has received multiple honorary degrees.

He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Shivam Mallick Shah and three children and has given up mountain climbing for family bicycle rides.

USAID is very honored to be part of the work that CURE International is doing at the Tebow CURE Hospital. We appreciate the support of Sacred Harvest and Tim Tebow who was born in the Philippines and is now an instrument to bring physical and spiritual healing to thousands of children.

Data, information, and evidence are the cornerstone of all successful development programs – especially in health – and USAID is strongly committed to using these valuable tools. The Demographic and Health Surveys are one of USAID’s most successful initiatives worldwide; DHS reports have been produced in more than 80 different countries.

As I am sure all of you know, nowhere in the world is development such an important part of U.S. engagement as it is in Africa. And today, Africans are the architects of their development, not just beneficiaries. Donors support their plans, they do not dictate them. Citizens demand democracy, not autocracy, and they are seizing the opportunities to shape the future of their countries. And, development work needs good governance if it is to fully succeed and last.

On behalf of the U.S. Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID), I would like to congratulate the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-PENRO Isabela under the leadership of PENRO William Savella for spearheading the Earth Day 2015 celebration in this province.

It is an honor to join you this afternoon on National Disability Day. This year Vietnam and the United States celebrate the 20th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between our two countries. During that period our governments have partnered for significant achievements in areas of economic growth and trade, health, education, and support to vulnerable populations including persons with disabilities.

The acceleration of development and the eradication of poverty have been the enduring commitments of USAID throughout our more than 50-year history. And yet we stand today at a unique time, with unique opportunities.

Thank you all for coming together with us to have this very important discussion. And allow me to recognize the presence of Undersecretary Gil Beltran from the Department of Finance in the Philippines, with thanks for taking time out of your very busy schedule to attend this important event. Of course I would also like to thank Stephen O’Connell, USAID’s Chief Economist who is joining us from Washington DC, and so many other distinguished guests.